Loving Two Dragons (Awakening Cycle Part 4) (BBW Dragon Shifter Paranormal Romance) by James D Horton Read Free Book Online Page B

flames. The air is filled with the awful scent of burnt flesh.
    We look at each other then continue our progress into the building. The interior is a big open area. Columns line the walls creating a walkway along the edge too small for our dragon forms. The center is dominated by a fountain of two dragons facing away from each other. Water spouts out of their upraised mouths pouring down into a pond around their feet. I lean over and see carp swimming.
    "What the hell is this?" I ask.
    It reminds me of an Asian garden mixed with a medieval sensibility. The structures and styles clash across cultures and times. Remy shimmers back to human form then leans over the water.
    "Don't touch that," he says after a moment.
    "Yeah, hadn't planned on taking a drink," I say.
    There's a door on the far side of the space that requires Archer and I to shift too. Entering it we emerge into a brightly lit room that reminds me of a New York coffee shop. Small couches and stuffed chairs are arranged into circles for easy conversation. A mahogany bar dominates the eastern wall behind which rests colored bottles.
    A door opens. Only a soft click but the place is too quiet so even that small sound captures attention. Ten men walk in. They're dressed in armor that glows with enchantments and have swords drawn. Their intent is obvious by their approach and the grim look on their faces. The leader, slightly in advance of the others who form a V behind him, stops twenty feet away.
    "You do not belong here," he says.
    Archer steps forward but doesn't draw his weapon. "Peace be upon you. We come seeking information."
    "We know why you are here. You are not welcome, it is not the time of the Awakening."
    Archer and I exchange a quick glance.
    "No, it is not," Archer says. "Which is what we are here to prevent. We know that some are trying to make that time now. Is it your duty to stop this?"
    "We are the defenders of the Ancients. She who will come is not yet here, it is not the time. We will not be fooled by your magics."
    "My magics?" Archer asks.
    The man to the leader's left is twitching. I watch him closely, I see it coming. He's going to jump the gun. The tension in the room builds as Archer and the leader talk. There might have been a peaceful resolution but then the one I'm watching raises the tip of his sword. Time moves in slow motion.
    "Archer!" I yell as that tip rises to be in line with him and a green energy erupts striking Archer in the chest.
    Archer flies across the room slamming into the wall with a whoof. I rush forward drawing my sword and parry with a twist, disarming the man who attacked. I'm surrounded by the time I finish the move. The man I engaged retreats behind his compatriots who close in. I hear the crackle of magic but my focus is on the four men.
    "Four?" I laugh. "Here I thought this might be a challenge!"
    I let muscle memory rule the body. My secret to fighting is to not fight. I've trained and honed my skill over thousands of years so my body knows what to do. If I take time to think about it, it slows me down. I observe, process information, and my body responds. Parry, attack, dodge, move high, and then move low. Sword fighting is like a dance with sharp edges. Attack then retreat, flow with the motion and wait for your opponent to make a misstep.
    One man falls, then another, and now I'm facing two. I'm not without marks, bleeding from a few cuts but nothing serious enough to stop or slow me down. Anyone who believes they can fight four men unscathed is a fool and in fighting I've never been a fool.
    I leap in to an opening left by the man before me but over extend my reach leaving my left side open to the other. Stabbing pain blossoms in my side but the man in front of me is knocked out cold. Instinct tells me to turn right, not left, and in so doing I rip the sword from my opponent's hand instead of turning in where he could slide it free. Now disarmed, he's mine.
    I survey the room. We're victorious. Archer stands